STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford women's soccer team earned a No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament and will host Cal Poly in the NCAA first round on Friday at 6 p.m. from Cagan Stadium.
Carrying the No. 1 seed, Stanford is in line to host through the NCAA quarterfinal round with a spot in the College Cup on the line.
Playing its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Cardinal won both the regular-season and ACC Tournament championships this year – earning the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford most recently claimed the tournament title after winning a penalty kick shootout 5-4 over No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon in Cary, N.C. With that match officially being ruled a draw, the Cardinal enters the postseason with a 16-1-2 overall record.
Cal Poly earned a bid after winning the Big West Championship by way of a 1-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara. The Mustangs carry a 10-2-9 overall record and went 6-2-2 in the Big West.
The winner of the Stanford vs. Cal Poly match will advance to the second round to face the winner of No. 8 seed Alabama (11-8-1) vs. Northwestern (9-4-7). The remainder of the quadrant includes matches between No. 4 seed UCLA (11-5-3) and Pepperdine (11-6-2), and No. 5 seed BYU (11-6-4) and Utah State (10-6-6).
The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe, named 2025 ACC Coach of the Year, enters the postseason with a 62-15-6 record in postseason action while at Stanford, having guided the Cardinal to the NCAA Tournament in 22 of his 23 seasons on The Farm.
This is Stanford's 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament overall, including its 27th in the last 28 seasons. The Cardinal has compiled a 73-25-9 record in NCAA Tournament play, most recently making its second consecutive run to the College Cup a year ago.
Stanford has appeared in 12 College Cups, including five straight from 2008-12, with its three national championships coming in 2011, 2017 and 2019. In addition to the three national titles, Stanford has also been the national runner-up three times (2009, 2010, 2023).
The Cardinal is the only program in the nation to reach the College Cup in each of the last two seasons.
Stanford is set to open the NCAA Tournament at home for the 24th time in program history. The Cardinal, which received a first-round bye in 1999, is a perfect 22-0-0 in first-round matches played at home.
Stanford is 58-4-5 all-time in postseason games hosted on The Farm, and has won 18 straight (last loss: 1-0 (2OT) vs. Santa Clara on November 18, 2016). The Cardinal is 46-1-2 over the last 49 postseason home games dating back to 2008.
Nine ACC Women's Soccer programs earned bids to join the 64-team field. The Cardinal is joined by at-large selections and No. 1 seeds Notre Dame and Virginia, No. 2 seed Duke, No. 3 seed Florida State, No. 6 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Wake Forest, No. 8 seed Clemson and North Carolina.